by Hadley Malcolm, USA TODAY

by Hadley Malcolm, USA TODAY

President Obama this week convenes the largest gathering ever of African government officials in Washington in an effort to bolster the U.S. relationship with one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

But preparations for the historic summit have been overshadowed by the march of the Ebola virus through West Africa, a health crisis that has claimed more than 700 lives and has international health officials scrambling for solutions.

An all-day event Tuesday will focus specifically on business and investing opportunities in the continent. As Africa's economies gain momentum, democratic governments take hold and the continent's young population grows wealthier, investing there is becoming easier and more attractive to international investors.

Insurance and infrastructure represent some of the best investing opportunities as companies expand to meet the growing demand of countries that are becoming wealthier and more educated, says Ryan Hoover, founder of InvestinginAfrica.net.

"There's huge demand for energy, roads and water," he says. "Any companies that have exposure to building or owning or operating power plants are seeing huge gains."

Africa also has age on its side, with 200 million people between the ages of 15 and 24, and many more of them educated than past generations of young adults. Africa is expected to have the largest global workforce by 2040.

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